McCain, following Obama, reverses his position

Jeremy G. writes:

After having insulted Republicans by calling them “out of touch with reality”, McCain is already backtracking. Today he is quoted on Fox News saying, “I can understand why Americans, when viewing these kinds of comments, are angry and upset.”

Whereas his initial comments reflected McCain’s well known shoot-from-the-hip liberalism, and his instinctive hatred for “racist” and “xenophobic” white conservatives, his turn-around is probably due to the flood of criticism he elicited from his right.

LA replies:

But isn’t his turnaround also or mainly due to the fact that Obama said that his relationship with Wright is a legitimate issue? McCain thus took his cue from the black man. The black man told McCain that it is ok for conservatives to criticize the black man over his close association with a controversial black preacher. So now McCain, obediently following the black man, who is his true authority, says it’s ok for conservatives to criticize the black man.

And did McCain apologize for initially declaring that his own party, the party he has just been chosen to lead, is “out of touch with reality,” in violation of the principles of Abraham Lincoln, and implicitly racist for doing the very thing that McCain now states they have the right to do?

People have long attacked Bush for his lack of intellect. McCain’s intelligence has never been a general object of criticism. But McCain, unbelievably, is even less reflective, more impulsive, and more self-righteous than Bush—a deadly combination in a leader.

Jeremy G. replies:

Yes, you’re correct. McCain is taking his lead from Obama. You can see McCain’s comments here, where McCain defends his attacks on the North Carolina Republicans while at the same time describing Wright’s comments as “beyond belief.” Somehow McCain gets to have it both ways, conservatives are racists yet also right about Wright.

LA replies:

He’s too stupid for this earth. Can you imagine him running a country?

Jeremy replies:

The only direction he would run the country is into the ground.

McCain is an extension of Bush in so many ways…

On the bright side, Reverend Wright is doing a good job damaging Obama. This should help Clinton win Indiana by a wide margin.

LA writes:

McCain’s statement is so remarkable it’s worth copying here:

During his first response [at an appearance in Miami], McCain got in a three-for; hitting Obama on his infamous “bitter” remarks, pointing out offensive Wright comments and sending the message that his Democratic rival opened the door a bit on Wright.

“I’ve stated my position very clearly that I don’t like the ad. I was interested that this morning Senator Obama said it was a legitimate political issue. If he believes that, then it will probably be a political issue. I saw yesterday some additional comments that have been revealed by Pastor Wright, one of them comparing the United States Marine Corps with Roman Legionnaires who were responsible for the death of our Savior, I mean being involved in that. It’s beyond belief. And then of course saying that Al Qaeda and the American flag were the same flags. So I can understand, I can understand why people are upset about this. I can understand why Americans, when viewing these kinds of comments, are angry and upset. Just like they view Senator Obama’s statements about why people turn to their faith and their values. He believes that it’s out of economic concerns. We all know it’s out of a fundamental belief, a fundamental faith in this country and its values and its principles. Again, Senator Obama, out of touch. I can’t control, and will not in future, control. I will voice my opinion. And I will continue to say that I think that ad should not be run. But I won’t continue to try to be the referee here.”

For it’s part, the Obama campaign immediately launched into McCain for the comments accusing the Republican of breaking his word on promises to run a respectful campaign.

“By sinking to a level that he specifically said he’d avoid, John McCain has broken his word to the American people and rendered hollow his promise of a respectful campaign,” said Obama campaign Spokesman Hari Sevugan. “With each passing day, John McCain acts more and more like someone who’s spent twenty-six years learning the divisive, distracting tactics of Washington. That’s not the change that the American people are looking for.”

Now McCain is attacking outrageous statements of Wright’s and saying he can understand how people are upset by them. Yet just a few days earlier he had called the North Carolina Republicans “out of touch with reality” and suggested they were racists for being upset about and accurately playing in an ad similar statements of Wright’s. Yet McCain, while saying he now understands people’s upset, doesn’t retract his earlier statement that they were bad people for expressing that upset.

This is not just the usual political positioning or self-covering. This is a man incapable of coherent thought.

The second remarkable and contradictory thing here is the bitter attack on McCain by the Obama spokesman. Obama himself said that his pastor’s comments were legitimate subjects for debate. And it was on that basis that McCain abandoned his earlier position that nothing critical should be said of Wright and he began criticizing Wright himself. And now, because McCain has begun to speak on this very matter that Obama said was a fair target for criticism, Obama’s spokesman says that McCain has “broken his word” about conducting a fair campaign, “rendering his promises hollow,” practicing “divisive, distracting tactics.”

You get the feeling that no one in this campaign has a brain connected with their tongue.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at April 28, 2008 02:56 PM | Send